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LDS Teenagers Have the Highest Abstinence Rate from All Substances

25% of LDS seniors tried alcohol vs 85% nationally. LDS male seniors: 10% premarital sex vs 75% nationally. Female: 19% vs 59%.

Across multiple studies, LDS adolescents reported the highest percentage of nonuse of all substances compared to every other religious group and the general population.

Only 25% of LDS high school seniors had ever tried alcohol, compared to 85% nationally. Ten percent of LDS male seniors reported premarital sex, compared to over 75% nationally. These findings come from BYU Religious Studies Center research spanning over 5,000 surveys across 20 years, corroborated by a 2011 peer-reviewed study published in PMC.

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